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Crews Respond To Hendricks Avenue Fire

ST. MARYS — More than half a dozen trucks responded to a fire on Hendricks Avenue Monday night.

St. Marys Fire Chief Joey Weaver said the department received a 911 call at 7:08 p.m. Monday reporting a fire at 606 Hendricks Ave. When crews arrived, Weaver said they discovered smoke coming from the attic.

“Upon entrance into the attic, they found some insulation was smoldering from a melted electrical line,” Weaver told The Evening Leader. “The fire was extinguished and we called Celina for their insulation vacuum to vacuum the insulation out that had burned. We also called St. Marys Township for assistance due to the oppressive heat.”

Temperatures Monday night lingered in the mid to high 80s. Weaver said the heat played a factor in the decision to call for mutual aid.

“No. 1 these guys are in another 70-plus pounds of fire gear, which is not very forgiving,” Weaver said. “With the heat and being up in an attic that’s 130 to 140 degrees, it takes a big toll on our guys.”

Typically firefighters are given one air bottle and then pulled out to rest. Weaver said the practice makes sure everyone is safe at the scene.

“We bring them out for rehab and they don’t go back in,” Weaver said. “We give them some water, open up their gear and they can take it off and cool down. We take vitals and that sort of thing. And we make sure they are hydrated. That’s why we had so many people there.”

No one was injured and crews cleared the scene at 8:47 p.m. Weaver estimated the damage to be $1,000.